With Honey on His Lips
by I've-Gotta-Be-Me
Summary: Everyone knows that a prince must go on a quest when he comes of age to earn his right to the throne. Unfortunately for Blaine, he is the third of three sons and no one gives him much notice. But when word is brought to his father of a neighboring kingdom with citizens turning to stone without warning, it may be up to him to break the curse. Well, him and a young prince.


_**Once upon a time**_ – as these things are bound to begin – there was a boy.

Up until his eighteenth year, he hadn't mattered. "How could he not have mattered?" you are probably asking yourself. Well, the answer is simple, my friend: no one noticed him. Not even he.

Sure, he was kind to everyone he met. He was known for his empathy and optimism across the land and he had above average musical knowledge. The fact of the matter was - and I'm sure you, yourself, have met people like this – he had the amazing ability to morph into the background. All the time.

It might sound a bit trifling to you because this boy was not only a boy, he was a prince. But he had two older brothers – considerably older, too – who were often most looked-up to. No one prepped the _third_ prince to take over the throne; it simply wasn't done.

So what he learned, he learned from watching. And watching does not often involve speaking, therefore no one asked his opinion. No one wanted to hear anything he had to say because his word came on the fourth tier, as far as power went: His father, the king, then his two elder brothers. Then him. Are you familiar with the expression "children are best seen, not heard"? This was the principle he was raised upon, even when he was no longer a child.

But despite his constant silence and repression, this boy's heart grew and grew – even faster than he did. And as his heart grew, so did his mind. He contented himself with books: novels on every subject, real or no. He could often be found hidden away in a quiet nook of the castle, leather-bound book nestled on his lap.

This was a quiet way to pass eighteen years, but pass they did, and without notice, as aforementioned. But there soon comes a time in every man's life (even a man who is only on the cusp of being considered a man) when he must go out and make his fortune. Yes, even princes must go and make their fortunes. Did you think they just earned the right to sit on the throne because of _birth?_ Because if that's what you believe, it is quite a silly thought, and you should be laughing at how incredibly mislead you have been. It is common knowledge that anyone can be _born_.

But only the mightiest can rule.

Therefore, if the men in line for the throne return from their quests successfully, they have earned the right to ascend the throne, come their time.

Now, the boy (Ser Blaine, if it must be known), was a bit hesitant to just pack a few belongings and some food and set off into the nearest wood without so much as an idea as to what a quest could possibly _be_ or if he would even be returning at all. It was a risky business, going on a quest, and important ones did not just crop up out of the blue very often. All the important ones have been made into songs by the troubadours and transcribed into script by the monks. You probably know them.

Do you recall how earlier I mentioned that he learns from observing? Well this is where that skill did not come in handy in the slightest, for his brothers were vain and greatly indolent (and, that is to say, quite simpleminded). They had decided amongst themselves that they would wait for the king to pass away and then they'd put an end to his ridiculous quest ruling. They would take the throne by force between the two of them. How they were going to resolve who _sat_ on the throne, nor Blaine or myself are quite sure – but that was the extent of their nefarious plan.

Blaine was quite traditional though, and he had studied all of the greatest quests in history. He knew all the songs and all the stories, the names and the dates. He read numerous novels about the art of swordplay, should he encounter a masked swordsman or an evil lord. He took diligent notes on survival: how much food each hero had taken initially on his quest, and how they hunted for more - natural things such as berries or edible roots. Yes, he was quite schooled on the _theory_ of quests, but he did not actually know how to go about them in practice.

But alas, the day finally came that someone came to the castle seeking an immediate council with the king – on urgent business. Blaine's older brothers were fighting over who got to press their ear to the keyhole to the throne room, but Blaine knew better. He knew every corner and passageway in the castle and he found himself on a hidden balcony within minutes of the heralding.

What he heard was this:

A strange happenstance was spreading throughout the countryside. The nearest kingdom had been overrun by a most strange plague, it would seem. This disease took hold without warning and turned anyone nearby into solid stone. This woman, who was pleading with the king to do something – _anything_ – was the last living soul of that neighboring kingdom, so she swore. No sooner had the story left her lips that she froze where she knelt and a clammy gray texture crept up from her feet to her forehead and she moved no more.

The king was astonished, as were his guards. They shouted and carried on, going up to her and knocking on her head. But what she spoke was true – she was made of stone. One guard suggested getting a hammer and smashing her in, because she was an obstruction in the middle of the court, but the king would hear none of it. He called for his sons immediately; all of them.

Blaine hurried down to appear as if he'd been in the library or something of the like, and a few minutes later, casually strolled into the throne room as if he'd been none the wiser.

Now, the king was old – he truly was. His once dark hair was as white as the winter's first snow and anyone could see that his arms shook a little bit when he tried to stand up from his great throne, which made him look so small now in comparison. His sons could plainly see the stone woman, frozen forever in her kneeling state. They marveled at the sight, slowly circling around the female statue and tapping on her with their knuckles.

But, of course, she would not rouse from her stationary pose.

The old king commanded his sons to do something at once in his stead, and set out to seek this neighboring kingdom and confirm the truth this stone woman had brought to them. If it be true then they must find out how to break this awful curse and he who returned in triumph to the kingdom would be instated as king immediately.

The two eldest brothers laughed and exchanged looks, not understanding the severity of the situation. Blaine stepped forward instead and offered his assistance to his father, getting down on one knee with a hand across his chest, swearing his allegiance and diligence to the task, if he be allowed.

The king looked at him in disbelief. What honor could the _third_ prince bring to the house name, after all? His elder brothers were beside themselves with laugher – one leaning on the stone woman just to support himself – they mocked Blaine relentlessly. But Blaine kept his pose, head bowed, and waited for judgment.

Well, the king did not know quite what to stay! For a while, he sat at a loss, wondering if he should deny the older two brothers their rights as first and secondborn, but could not think of anything but this compromise: all three sons were to set out immediately. If the oldest should fail, the second should step up and continue where he left off. And _only_ if the first and second fell, then Blaine could at last justly take up the quest at his own. But for now all three of them must set out on this perilous journey.

Blaine rose, red-faced, and made a small bow before heading to his chambers to make the necessary arrangements. Foolishly, his brothers strapped on their armors and tied their swords to their waists, declaring themselves prepared. It was Blaine who packed a satchel with books he thought would be most helpful, extra cloth, healing herbs, bandages, food that he got from the kitchen and skins of water, after a bit of pleading.

Finally, they were all ready to set out, and did so at quite a lazy pace. Blaine forged ahead and used the map he had been wise enough to bring to navigate them to the neighboring kingdom as quickly as the eldest two would allow.

On the way, they came across a magnificent stag. It was Blaine who spotted the most beauteous creature with a white breast and a glorious crown of antlers jutting out every which way. It pawed the ground and stared directly at him. He was eagerly jotting down the description in his journal as his two brothers rested when the eldest snatched his book away and asked what he was doing. He begrudgingly explained about the rarely seen beast.

Upon spotting the stag, the eldest took out his bow, swiftly fitted an arrow to it, and took aim.

Blaine jumped on his arm, using all his strength to force the eldest to lower the weapon to point harmlessly towards the ground.

"Please," he begged. "Do not harm this creature. It has done nothing for you and is but a peaceful thing. Perhaps it has a family to provide for. If you shoot it down, who will fend for its doe?"

The eldest brother was greatly annoyed, turning red in the face, and chose to shoot his arrow straight into Blaine's foot instead. Tears streamed down his face and he bit back a yell. Thankfully his boot took most of the arrowhead, but his foot was slightly pierced nonetheless. Blaine sat down to silently nurse his foot and remove the arrow with great care. While doing so, he thought to himself that he would, upon any occasion, take an arrow in the foot for that family of deers' sakes.

Along the way they also came upon a rushing river. The tides were great and the water was nothing but loud, whooshing foam as it sped downstream. It could be crossed by a bridge further ahead, but it was no good for washing or cleaning or any kind, nor refilling their skins of water.

The second eldest brother had brought a spear. He saw the glistening scales of a school of fish shining through the rapids and he took aim. Blaine would have turned a blind eye to this folly if his brother had not been such a renowned marksman. Again he stilled his brother's arm against this reckless action and told him that spearing a fish would just lose him his weapon, for it would be surely washed away by the water.

This, also annoyed the second eldest and he scowled at Blaine, knocking the brunt of his spear against his forehead with as much force as he could. Blaine plastered a hand over his face, feeling the wound already forming, seeing his fingers coming away with red stains. But he thought to himself that he would surely take the same form of punishment if it meant that these fish would go undisturbed.

They were nearly to the kingdom, but for a mile or two, when they were sitting down for their final rest (the eldest brothers required a lot of rest, so it seemed) when one of them jumped up in a panic, spotting a bee's nest overhead on a low branch. The second had his sword out already, prepared to hack down the hive.

Blaine pulled them away and warned them against this foolish act. For if they cut down the hive from the tree, it would fall to the ground and burst forth with angry bees determined for their stingers to find purchase in any three of them. The second brother's reflexes were defensive though and soon he had Blaine pinned against a tree with his sword against his throat, warning him to know his place or else stay silent. Blaine repeated what he had said before and the brother huffed at this logic. After a moment, to maintain his superiority, he nicked Blaine with his sword, just under the chin.

Blaine merely wiped the blood, used to his brothers' abuse by then, and stared wistfully at the nest. He would take a million cuts if it were to secure both his and the bees' well-being, he thought to himself as they plundered on.

At last, after a much too long journey thanks to his brothers' slow-going, they arrived at the neighboring kingdom.

To their astonishment, what the woman had said had been true. First they came upon the stables, full with majestic horses still in their stalls and stable boys and girls to tend them. Yes, they were there, but they were all stayed in solid marble. There was a village within the castle walls (guarded by stone knights), but upon opening a few doors, much of the same sight prevailed them.

They made it to the heart of the kingdom at last and tried to open the great doors. Alas, they would not budge. They were locked or barricaded, but they would not be opened. The two eldest took out their weapons and began hacking at the wood, determined to cut through, but Blaine bade them stop and he knelt down to look through the keyhole, for he heard the faintest of noises.

Sure enough, there was a small boy behind the doors. There was a woman who must have been his mother who moved no more on the ground. The boy quietly wept over her stone body, curled up beside her as if he expected her to come to life at any moment.

Blaine called to him and he looked up, seeming very frightened at seeing someone else very much alive. Blaine spoke softly, reassuring the young child that they were there to help, if only he could perchance open the door.

The boy shook his head, sniffling about how he did not have a key. Only the king did, and he was turned to stone on his throne, so its whereabouts were impossible to locate. Blaine asked if there was another way inside. At this, the boy sat up and nodded quickly, bidding them to meet him round the side of the castle.

The three brothers followed his directions and soon they found a small opening. Well, the other two brothers were too tall and muscular and laden with armor to fit through, though they did try in vain. In the end, it was Blaine who could crawl through the opening and into the castle.

He brothers warned him that he'd better return quickly, and with information, or else they'd do much worse than an arrow and a spear wound unto him. Blaine assured them that he would, in fact, return – and he was a man of his word.

He quickly asked the child if there was anything within these castle walls to help them find a way to break the curse. He also inquired as to why this boy was the sole survivor, when even the woman seeking help from his father had turned to stone. The boy explained that he was not the only one alive, the king's three sons were also alive. But they were locked in the highest towers, so he did not know how long they would last.

He explained that the natives seemed to be the only ones affected by the curse. According to legend, many a year before, the king had come across an evil fae in the woods upon a quest. The fae would let him pass without forfeiting his life. Not ready to die just yet, he offered the fae whatever she thought would be the equivalent to his life.

The fae announced that at an unknown time, when the king least expected it, his kingdom would be cursed and all it's natural-born inhabitants would turn to stone. Then, if anyone deemed them worthy enough to be saved, only the youngest son would hold the key to redemption. Not knowing what this would mean, the foolish king accepted these terms. He believed that by the time this curse took place, he would be long dead, and it would not have to worry him.

True to the fae's word, only days ago the curse had begun to take affect. One person at a time. The boy was spared because he had not been born in this kingdom. Both of his parents had been killed in a raid, and he'd been sent off to live with his aunt and uncle – both of whom had fallen to the curse early.

Blaine inquired about the three sons. Surely if they were the king's blood they should be stone, should they not? The child hastened to explain that the King's first wife had died days after their marriage. Shortly after, the king had taken a second wife – but she already had three sons. Tragedy struck again and the king's second wife died of a rancid fever not long after that. Judgment plagued by grief, the king ordered that the three sons be locked away in three separate towers so he might not have to look upon their faces and see his second love reflected in their features.

Therefore, the three sons she had brought with her from a foreign kingdom remained untouched by the curse. If something was not done immediately, the three might die of starvation, locked away in their towers. They had a few things to live off of, but not much, so they must hasten.

The child led Blaine to the library where squires had left three sheaths of scrolls on a high table, too high for the child to reach. It was clear by the stone masses of humans frozen over the pages, that in desperation, they had been searching for a way to undo the curse just before it took them. And there it lay before him, on the table. The king had transcribed the fae's words onto the scrolls, which Blaine read eagerly.

He grinned, feeling hopeful and somewhat triumphant as he rolled up the scrolls and placed them in his bag. He thanked the small boy and bid him come with them as they continued their quest – for he could not be left here alone by himself.

The pair of them rushed back from whence they came and Blaine told his elder brothers what I have just told you. They demanded to see the scrolls at once.

The first said this:

"_In the wood, under the moss, lie the thousand pearls belonging to the king's first love; they must all be found: and if one be missing by set of sun, he who seeks them will be turned into marble."_

Oh, how the eldest son laughed! Surely, he proclaimed, there must be somewhat more a daunting task? Why, no fire-breathing dragons? No deadly jousting matches? No grimy trolls trying to tear their limbs off for breakfast? He would have nearly laughed himself into a stupor, had Blaine not reminded him of the urgency of the situation.

He looked at the youngest prince disapprovingly and sniffed that he would find these silly pearls before nightfall. Thus, he set out back into the woods, with naught but his sword, and left the second eldest, Blaine, and the child to wait for him back in the kingdom of stone.

There, Blaine shared with the other two some of the food that he had brought. They ate and they waited. If you listened carefully, you could hear the angry yells of the eldest throughout the course of the day.

Come nightfall he did not return.

The second eldest absolved that he would set out come morning, and he would find the pearls using his innate tracking skills. It was true that he was a remarkable tracker, and being the kind-hearted man Blaine was, he was hopeful at this, not wanting another brother to turn to stone, no matter how cruel he might be.

Again, on the next day, the second brother set out in the opposite direction the eldest had gone and he swore to Blaine that he would return before the sun set. Blaine wished him luck, and for the second day in a row there was nothing to do for him but to wait. He broke bread again with the child – maybe sharing a bit more than he had with his brothers – and the two talked all day long; waiting in earnest for the second brother.

Alas, the sun did set swiftly and the second brother did not return.

The third morning came and Blaine took the child with him as he set out, refusing to leave him on his own again. His plan was to retrace his steps, but as they set out the echoes of his brothers' mockery came back to ring in his ears. They taunted his size and his lack of strength. They knew that his love for books and music would not help him in a real quest. If he was to put this boy in any danger and if any ill fate would befall him, it would be his lack of ability that put him in the ground.

He shushed these thoughts and reminded himself that moss grew near water, which was something he knew how to find. So, using his trained ears, he followed the rush of water back to the river, searching for moss. Well, there was much moss to be found, but underneath none lay any rocks, much less _pearls._

Blaine sat down on a rock and thought hard. This task was so tiresome and so difficult, he did not know if he could go on. They'd searched high and lo all morning and afternoon, but very much in vain. Aye! How was this task to be achieved?

Suddenly, Blaine spotted a stag a few feet in front of him, lapping from the pond they'd found. It was the same stag they had seen on the journey, the one Blaine had stopped his brother from shooting.

For a moment, he forgot his woes and he slowly approached the stag, placing all his belongings on the floor in a gesture of peace. The stag stayed still, tall and proud, and it allowed Blaine to come close to it and run his fingers through its mane.

Blaine was overtaken by its grace and beauty, and spent some time just admiring it. He beckoned the boy to come near it, too, and the stag allowed him as well to touch it. It was as if it knew that Blaine had saved it and was thanking him.

After a few minutes, the stag walked away, but not far. It looked back to Blaine, as if waiting for him to follow. He and the boy exchanged looks and the boy went back to fetch Blaine's satchel. They hastened after the stag who strode through the forest with ease.

They clambered over fallen trunks and hacked through thick brush. It took them hours, but the stag never left them, It led them to a huge bed of moss in the middle of the woods. Blaine and the boy fell to their knees, clawing up the moss eagerly. They couldn't believe their eyes!

Sure enough, beneath the moss glistened a thousand smooth pearls! They dug up every last one, packing them away carefully. By the time Blaine turned around to thank the stag – though he knew in all sense that animals could not understand speech – the animal was gone. Like an apparition, it had disappeared without a sound.

Blaine and the boy made camp right there in the remains of the moss for the night. They slept soundly through the night, and in the morning, Blaine referred to his book about how to find berries and which ones were safe to eat and which were not. They feasted and broke their fast on the berries and some leftover bread at dawn.

Immediately they unfurled the second scroll which read:

"_The key of the princes' bed-chambers must be fished up out of the lake."_

If this was not achieved, the same fate as the people of the kingdom and his brothers would await him.

Not knowing quite what to do, only having passed a pond and a river, Blaine and his young companion returned the river, following its flow, hoping desperately that it would stem off into a lake to fit this task's description.

At last, it did. And the lake was vast – so vast that it would've taken a day's journey at least to walk the circumference of it. Blaine fell to his knees, already feeling defeat settling over him, but he knew he could not give up. He could not leave his young charge alone in these volatile woods and he could not leave that kingdom under the curse of its irresponsible king! He stripped down to his underclothes and dove into the lake.

He was not a strong enough swimmer though, and every time he tried to push himself down to the bottom of the lake, where surely these keys were buried, he could not dive far enough to touch the bottom. It was leagues down yet and each attempt made his arms and legs burn a little bit more. His lungs ached and his eyes hurt from straining against the rush of water and the pitch black depths below.

He hauled himself out of the lake and upon reaching the shore, collapsed there – one hand still in the water – he begun to weep. Nightfall was only an hour off and he'd made no advances in this great feat. His tears dripped off his nose and into the water with tiny splashes, causing little ripples to bloom across the glassy water surface.

After a few minutes, he saw the familiar shimmer of rainbow colored scales. The fish from the day before! The ones he had saved from a roasted fate by steadying his brother's spear-throwing arm! He watched them skim the surface of the water before disappearing into the depths. They did not resurface for several minutes, but when they did, three of the largest held three different keys in their mouths.

Blaine cried out in joy and took the keys, thanking the creatures profusely though they would only look at him for a moment before disappearing again one by one.

The impossible had been done. Not one, but two tasks completed! Blaine and his charge made camp near the lake that night, both feeling hopeful that perhaps at last the curse might be broken the next day.

Before daybreak, Blaine woke up to study the last of the scrolls.

It would be, by far the hardest task.

Thus is read:

"_And lastly, one must look upon the king's three sons, almost all exactly alike in size, stature, and beauty, and choose the youngest among them: the most beautiful at heart. One son will have eaten a cube of sugar, another will have had a spoonful of syrup, sweet to the taste. But the youngest son will have eaten a spoonful of honey. By merely looking upon them, one must determine which is which and place a kiss upon the youngest son's lips. And thus, with a kiss, the curse will be no more."_

Blaine woke up the boy quickly and no sooner had they packed up their belongings that they hastened back to the castle at a sprint. Using the map and the young boy's sense of direction, which turned out to be impeccable, they made it back before the afternoon. Using the keys the fish had rescued the day before, they went one by one to each tower and released the sons, gathering them in the great hall.

All of them were weak with hunger, but nonetheless beautiful as they stood their after Blaine's explanation. There was no physical way to determine age amongst them. None was bigger or taller than the other. They were all roughly the same height, and their faces were magnanimous – not showing a single flaw or signs of aging. They all three had incredibly pale skin and wore fine clothes.

They were all truly stunning, but Blaine could not be sure which was the youngest. If they made any attempts to help him, or if he kissed the wrong one, they'd all be turned to stone on the spot and everything they had done thus far would be in vain. So Blaine bade them to stay silent and not hint him in any way, nor the young boy who had been his faithful companion over the past few days.

He stood there nearly all afternoon, wondering which one was not only the most attractive, but really the most beautiful-hearted amongst them. He had to know which one was most pure of heart and truly noble - the son that could rise above and be a just ruler; or else why was so much importance thrust upon his existance? The key to breaking this horrendous curse laid with the youngest prince - surely for a reason. He went from one to the next, looking into their eyes, and searching for any clues of which of them had taken the honey, but it was of no use.

Then, softly, Blaine heard a noise. A buzzing sound that grew less and less faint. Suddenly a small insect came flying through one of the high windows in the hall and came down to settle on Blaine's shoulder.

One of the princes moved to swat away the seemingly harmful bug, but Blaine stopped them. He knew that this was none other than the queen of bees who reigned over the hive he had stopped his brothers from cutting down on their journey there. He brought the bee to sit on his finger and brought it to his mouth, whispering in its tiny ear a soft prayer of the impossible.

Seeming to understand, the insect started buzzing from prince to prince. Blaine commanded them not to move and not to harm the insect, for it might be the key to their salvation. Sure enough, the insect landed on the prince standing in the middle and lingered there for quite some time.

Then, without so much as another buzz, it flew off through the window from whence it came.

Without a doubt in his mind, Blaine strode up to that prince which the bee had marked; he with his fair skin and light, soft brown hair. He moved his hands to gently cup the prince's face and gave him a questioning look, glancing down at his lips, which he now knew were surely laced with honey. The prince gave an almost imperceptible nod and Blaine leaned in to kiss him.

And it was perfect. Sure as the bee that had marked him, his lips tasted of honey – and Blaine was sure he'd never before tasted anything as sweet.

When they pulled apart after a long moment, Blaine gave him a smile and asked him what his name was, so that he might properly express his thanks.

"Kurt," was all the prince said with a smile.

It seemed that the only way to properly express thanks would be to kiss him again. So Blaine did.

The effect was immediate. As Blaine's lips were upon his, he could see a bright light behind his eyes and suddenly the cryptically still air was filled with sounds: shouts, cheers, and laughter.

The kingdom was returned to life and Blaine was dubbed a hero.

His two brothers sheepishly returned to the kingdom, being returned to normal themselves. They admitted that they had been wrong and that it was Blaine's kindness and knowledge that had brought upon him such a fortune, not their strength and folly.

But Blaine could not bring himself leave without having the youngest son's hand.

The king was delighted that that was _all_ he asked, and eagerly agreed that his youngest son could return to Blaine's kingdom and rule beside him, if it was their new king's wish – all he had to do was rule it so.

And so, all five of them (Blaine's now young _squire_ making the journey with them as well) returned from whence the three brothers came and such a celebration the kingdom had never seen! It lasted for seven days and seven nights.

From then on, Blaine was the one who sat on the throne, with his fellow king by his side. And every year, to mark the anniversary of his quest, they would each have a spoonful of the sweetest honey and touch their lips in soft remembrance.

**The End**

* * *

_A/N: I had not heard this Brother's Grimm tale until last semester in my Oral Interpretation of Literature course and I loved it! This was my first thought for the klaine au prompt and I had so much fun writing this to get myself out of a rut._

_I hope you all anjoyed it too!_

**_Reviews are always, always appreciated_**


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